Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that parts of a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to Moscow, signaling that a peace deal remains distant. Putin described his five-hour talks Tuesday in the Kremlin with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as “necessary” and “useful” but noted that some proposals could not be agreed upon.
Trump’s special envoys are scheduled to meet later Thursday in Miami with Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, as part of Washington’s most intensive diplomatic push to halt the fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago. Discussions remain contentious, particularly over whether Ukraine would need to cede territory to Russia and how its security could be ensured against future aggression.
Putin, speaking to India Today TV ahead of a state visit to New Delhi, said the talks required a detailed review of each point in the U.S. proposal. He avoided specifying which measures Moscow might accept or reject, warning that prematurely revealing details could disrupt ongoing negotiations. Trump said his envoys returned from the Kremlin “very confident” that Putin wants to reach a deal.
European leaders, excluded from the direct U.S.-Moscow-Ukraine negotiations, have expressed skepticism. French President Emmanuel Macron met with China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing, seeking Chinese support in pressuring Russia toward a ceasefire. Xi did not provide a clear response but reiterated that “China supports all efforts that work towards peace.”
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas continued. A missile struck Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday night, wounding six people, including a 3-year-old girl, and damaging over 40 residential buildings, a school, and gas infrastructure. In Kherson, a 6-year-old girl died following artillery shelling that had wounded her the day prior. The Kherson Thermal Power Plant, supplying heat to over 40,000 residents, was forced to shut down after repeated Russian drone and artillery attacks, prompting emergency measures and temporary warming tents.
Additional strikes hit Odesa, wounding six people and damaging civilian and energy infrastructure. Overall, Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched two ballistic missiles and 138 drones overnight. In the Russian-occupied part of Kherson, a Ukrainian drone strike killed two men and wounded a 68-year-old woman, according to Moscow-installed authorities.